When working as an Army psychiatrist, Tom Gillespie saw a correlation between mental, physical and spiritual health.

Now called the Rev. Gillespie instead of Dr. Gillespie, the parochial vicar at St. Paul Roman Catholic Church is experiencing those links from a new perspective.

"I've had experience dealing with the tragedies and triumphs of people's lives," said Gillespie, 42, who was ordained in June.

"As a priest I'm able to help them more globally."

Always active in his parish, the Pittsburgh native said he didn't consider the priesthood until the late 1990s, when he was doing his psychiatry residency at Fort Gordon in Georgia.

There, he attended Catholic vocational discernment programs, where the possibility was introduced by the Rev. Brett Brannen, whose down-to-earth style inspired him.

"He asked Catholic men if they ever thought of becoming a priest," Gillespie recalled.

"In a new environment it's easier to think about things."

Following his residency, Gillespie worked at a military hospital in Columbia, S.C. After satisfying his military obligation in 2004, he began studies that would lead him to the priesthood. Those included two years of pre-theology studies in philosophy at Duquesne University followed by four years at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

"I've always loved school," said Gillespie, who also attended Notre Dame for his pre-medical studies before beginning at the University of Pittsburgh in 1992.

Despite his change of focus and the schooling required, Gillespie said becoming a priest is more like continuing a process than abandoning a former career.

"I don't feel like I've given up anything," Gillespie said. "One step has led to another."

Although Gillespie will maintain his certification as a psychiatrist, his role as a priest will not include providing mental health services.

The training might come in handy, Gillespie noted, in recognizing when parishioners might benefit from professional help.

Gillespie's medical training also has led him to value and set an example of wellness: So far, he has found time to run the Pittsburgh Marathon three times and the Marine Corps Marathon once.

"Priests have to be healthy," he joked, alluding to the lack of priests that sometimes burdens churches.

According to Dennis Yurochko, director of preordination formation and rector at St. Paul Seminary in Pittsburgh where Gillespie resided while at Duquesne, St. Paul is seeing a slow, steady rise in numbers.

In years past, seminary occupancy has hovered in the teens, sometimes dipping lower. More recent years have shown as many as 37 seminarians in the Diocese of Pittsburgh, with 20 currently living on-site.

"We're hopeful it will be a continued trend," Yurochko said. "We have a good number of young men who are of a good quality as well."

The age demographic also has changed: Until the 1950s, Yurochko said many young men entered seminary during high school.

"Probably starting in the 70s and through the 80s, we definitely saw more of a shift," Yurochko said, explaining older, "second career men" began coming forward.

Now, Yurochko said few men enter during or immediately after high school, however increasing numbers are making the choice during college.

"There is no right or wrong time," he said. "It depends on when God calls a person to serve the church. God will make good use of that background."

As far as Gillespie's background goes, Yurochko said the discipline required for military life will lend itself to priesthood. And the service-orientation of psychiatry also is a requirement for priests.

"As a psychiatrist, he would have a deep understanding of the human condition, human beings — a good listening ear," Yurochko said.

"I think it will really be a unique gift that he will be able to contribute."

Along with the parallels of discipline and service, Gillespie says the science required to study medicine also is linked to his call from God.

"Science is about finding the true answer," he said. "In faith, there's truth, but it's a mystery."